Sequel: Running With Scissors ›
Those Worse Off Than You
Part 12
I noticed that I was so bored- that this was all I could think about. My homework was finished (at least the homework I had form the first two classes), my room was clean- there was absolutely nothing to do. I started patting my fingers on the head on my bed, making a rhythm fill the room quietly. A quick rythm, faster that the one I had mad up came out of nowhere. I stopped tapping and listened quietly to see if it would be there again. And surely enough, I heard it again. It was like a tap, not too hard, or too light, just loud enough for someone to hear.
I waited for a third tap to figure out where it was coming from. I figured it was coming from the window. Approaching cautiously, I slowly moved the curtains out of the way and opened the window. A tall, scraggly figure dropped to the floor, panting like they had been running for hours. Luckily for me, it was the same scraggly figure that had pestered me last night. "Where's your bathroom?" he asked, quickly running in the direction I pointed in. Luckily, I had my own bathroom. He slammed the door on his way in, and I heard an odd noise, like someone choking.
I knocked lightly on the door, "Are you okay?" I didn't get an answer, only more noises, then the sound of water running later.
He slowly creaked open the door afterwards, but kept his head down and his hair in his face. "I'm- I'm sorry... I didn't know where else to go," he stumbled. "No one else wanted me." He fell on my shoulder.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I... went home. Dad... school phoned... said I'm...bad student... he said it was my fault... my fault."
"You're not making any sense," I said, trying to move his hair out of his face, but he flinched back in an empty corner of my room, and slid down to the floor.
"Don't- it hurts."
"What hurts? Ace, you need to tell me what happened."
"I took some of his pills..."
"Who's pills did you take?"
"Dad's… I had a head ache because he wasn't happy. They weren't normal... now... feel funny. He... didn't like- like it very much... now it hurts."
"Come here and sit down. I'm not going to hurt you... I'm going to help."
I waited for a third tap to figure out where it was coming from. I figured it was coming from the window. Approaching cautiously, I slowly moved the curtains out of the way and opened the window. A tall, scraggly figure dropped to the floor, panting like they had been running for hours. Luckily for me, it was the same scraggly figure that had pestered me last night. "Where's your bathroom?" he asked, quickly running in the direction I pointed in. Luckily, I had my own bathroom. He slammed the door on his way in, and I heard an odd noise, like someone choking.
I knocked lightly on the door, "Are you okay?" I didn't get an answer, only more noises, then the sound of water running later.
He slowly creaked open the door afterwards, but kept his head down and his hair in his face. "I'm- I'm sorry... I didn't know where else to go," he stumbled. "No one else wanted me." He fell on my shoulder.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I... went home. Dad... school phoned... said I'm...bad student... he said it was my fault... my fault."
"You're not making any sense," I said, trying to move his hair out of his face, but he flinched back in an empty corner of my room, and slid down to the floor.
"Don't- it hurts."
"What hurts? Ace, you need to tell me what happened."
"I took some of his pills..."
"Who's pills did you take?"
"Dad's… I had a head ache because he wasn't happy. They weren't normal... now... feel funny. He... didn't like- like it very much... now it hurts."
"Come here and sit down. I'm not going to hurt you... I'm going to help."